This week the Tennessee Legislature passed its annual budget for the state. That signals for practical purposes that the Legislature is in “wind down” mode and handling a limited number of matters. The activity for this week and the calendar for next week reflect this status. Events to note during the week ending April 30…
Author Archives: John Harris
Tennessee passes significant improvement to civil immunity for those resorting to self-defense
Over the last few years, Tennessee Firearms Association has worked with a number of state legislators to improve existing laws regarding civil immunity for those who resort to justifiable self-defense. Under existing law, a person who found themselves in a situation where they found it necessary to use deadly force in self-defense could be at…
State of Tennessee sued on claims that new permitless carry law violates United States Constitution
Tennessee Firearms Association raised a number of concerns prior to the passage of the Governor’s permitless carry legislation (HB786/SB765) including the concern that provisions of the legislation needlessly created a violation of the 2nd and 14th Amendments to the United States Constitution because it denied some 18-20 year old citizens from being able to exercise…
New Podcast – Tennessee’s Castle Doctrine – its not what you think it should be
John Harris discusses Tennessee’s “castle doctrine” in the April 23, 2021, podcast release. The “castle doctrine”, at least as it exists in Tennessee is not what many people think it is. It is instead a set of conditions that under the particular facts of a specific incident address whether someone has a duty to retreat…
Legislative Status Report and Calendar April 23, 2021
There were three bills that TFA views as significant which had activity this week. SB1148/HB25 is legislation that would materially improve Tennessee’s civil immunity statute for those individuals who use deadly force in justifiable self-defense. It would merely prohibiting the filing and prosecution of a civil case until the criminal investigation and/or trial is over.…
Legislative Update and Calendar for April 16, 2021 – good bills being rejected again
Legislative committees are closing down. Soon, we will know what 2nd Amendment related issues are going to be enacted by the Republican super majority and which are not. Never, never forget that with the super majority, the failure to enact any legislation or the enactment of legislation. good or bad, is solely the act of…
Who do we target in 2022 for failure to support even a permitless carry law?
Tennessee has had the opportunity this year to pass real constitutional carry. It failed to achieve that goal. But, it did manage to pass a law that continues to make it a crime in Tennessee for someone to carry a firearm with the intent to go armed but which now creates an “exception” to that…
Legislative Status Report and Calendar – April 9, 2021
The Tennessee Legislature is moving toward the point where it wraps up its activities for the 2021 part of the two year session. As that day approaches, opportunities are ending to enact laws in 2021 which would restore your rights, which would remove infringements on your rights and which would require the state’s administrative branch…
Bill Lee’s hallmark 2nd Amendment legislation – what does it do?
First, let us define the term “constitutional carry”. Constitutional carry means the full and free exercise of the right that is recognized and protected by the Second Amendment. It means that anyone who can legally possess a firearm can carry it. One of Bill Lee’s initial statements as a candidate was that he did not…
Legislative status and calendar reports for April 5, 2021
The Legislature continues to rapidly address pending bills and to take up amendments which normally have not been posted on the state’s website in advance of the hearings which makes it very difficult to keep track of the actual language of the bills that are being considered since proposed bill amendments that are being offered…